Begin Again
by Why Are You My Clarity
Summary: After suffering from a verbally abusive relationship with Robbie Shapiro, Cat Valentine is hesitant to go on the blind date her best friend has set up with her, sure that everything will go wrong. But instead everything goes very, very right when she meets a certain Beck Oliver. Could Cat learn to begin again after being hurt so many times before?


Begin Again

(Songfic)

Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious or any of the sexy, talented characters on it. :( I also do not own this song by Taylor Swift.

_Took a deep breath in the mirror._

_He didn't like it when I wore high heels but I do._

An eighteen year old Cat Valentine stood in front of her bedroom mirror, applying the finishing touches to her make up. She then proceeded to neatly pack all of it into her purse, which had been given to her for her birthday by her best friend, Jade West. Afterwards, she walked to her closet and selected a pale, pink sundress that stopped a few inches above her knees. To match it she chose a pair of white, three inch heels. She was rather short, at just 5 '2'.

Once she was dressed, she made her way back to the mirror, and turned to the side. Sucked in a deep breath to flatten her already flat stomach. Her eyes traveled to her heels, and she bit her lip to fight back tears. Memories flashed of _him_ calling her endless names that rhymed with words such as 'bow', and, 'door', for her choice in shoes. "Don't think about it, Cat." She whispered to herself, and grabbed her purse.

_Turn the lock and put my headphones on,_

_He always said he didn't get this song._

_But, I do. I do. _

She stuck the key into the lock on the door of her pink convertible, and sat down in the driver's seat. The door was left open for a moment as she searched her purse for her iPod, which had a pink case. She had been disappointed when the Apple store told her they don't make pink iPod touches. After plugging her earphones into her ear, she closed the car door and began to look through her songs.

The band, 'He is We', caught her eye. For a moment, she froze.

_"I don't understand why you listen to this band anyways. They don't make sense." He sneered at her, holding her iPod tightly in his hand after snatching it from her. _

A sigh escaped her lips as she shook away the memories, and she hesitated for a moment. But then she clicked on the band anyways, because she likes that band. And, they make sense to _her._ "That's all that matters." She reassured herself, and started the car.

_Walked in expecting you'd be late._

_But, you got here early and you stand and wave._

_I walk to you._

Once she had double checked her make up in the mirror, she slowly, hesitantly, stepped out of the car and walked towards the front door of the cafe she was meeting him at. Jade had set her up on a blind date. Cat told herself not to set her hopes too high, because she felt sure he'd atleast be late.

_He_ always was. And it's not like she knew anything else.

Cat Valentine took a deep breath, and opened the door, looking towards the table Jade told her to find. And her stomach flipped. Her date stood there, smiling widely at her. A small smile graced her lips, and she watched as he waved eagerly at her for her to come and sit. And so she did.

"Beck Oliver." He introduced himself, pulling her into a gentle hug, "You're even prettier than Jade said. I'm glad I got here early."

"Cat Valentine." She replied breathlessly, "Thank you."

_You pull my chair out and help me in._

_And, you don't know how nice that is,_

_But I do._

She moved from his arms to sit down, but stopped at an arch of the eyebrow from Beck. He hurried to her side and pulled the chair out for her, "What kind of date would I be if I let you pull out your own chair?" He motioned for her to now sit down, and then went and sat at his place across from her.

The blood rushed to her cheeks and she smiled warmly at him, doubtful that he realized how nice that was.

Not once could she remember a time when _he _ever pulled out her chair. "Thank you, Beck."

She felt so grateful. He shook his head slightly at her, "You act like it's a big deal. But, there shouldn't ever be a guy who doesn't pull out your chair for you, Miss Valentine. You deserve better than that."

"You might not believe me, but you're only the second guy I've ever dated." Cat poked her tongue between her teeth, "And, if I'm honest, the first was nowhere as great as you, already."

_And you throw your head back laughing,_

_Like a little kid._

_I think it's strange you that you think I'm funny, cause,_

_He never did._

"I remember one time in high school, my best friend, Jade, asked me to trim her eyebrows." Cat confessed, grinning guiltily at Beck, "I accidentally waxed them completely off. She shaved my head!"

Beck stared back at her, dumbfounded, for a moment and then threw his head back in wild laughter. Dark, messy hair flew all about his head, and Cat couldn't help but compare him to a little kid. It was just so adorable.

"Am I really that funny?" Cat giggled, mostly due to nerves. _He _had never thought she or any of her stories were funny. _He _would tell her to just be quiet. She had eventually just stopped talking about herself and her friends.

"You're the funniest girl I know." He beamed sincerely, taking a sip of his coffee. "Come on. I wanna hear more, Cat Valentine."

Her cheeks flushed when he caught her eye, and she stared at the table for a moment, "Well, there was this one time my brother..."

_I've been spending the last eight months, _

_Thinking all love ever does is,_

_Break. And burn. And end._

"So, you mentioned you dated somebody else?" Beck spoke up after their laughter had died down. Cat searched his eyes for jealousy or anger, sure that one of those were the reasons he was asking. A strange warmth blossomed in her chest when she saw nothing but interest, and maybe even concern.

"His name was Robbie." She confessed, twiddling her thumbs, "We broke up about eight or nine months ago. I'll admit that after him I felt convinced there was no point in dating or even in love. It just hurt."

"Have you changed your mind since then?" Beck leaned in an inch or so closer, resting his elbows on the table so that he could place his chin in his palms.

"I'm starting to." Cat smiled softly, peeking up at Beck from beneath long, thick lashes.

_But on a Wednesday in a Cafe,_

_I watched it begin again. _

"Hey, you two." Cat and Beck looked up in surprise to see a short, elderly woman standing beside their table and an empty cafe. "You've been here all day. The cafe closes in five minutes."

"Have we really been here that long?" Cat let out a peal of laughter, standing from her chair and looking Beck's way, "I'd like to see you again, Beck. I mean, if that's okay with you."

He walked with her to the door, opening it and gesturing for her to walk out first, and then stood with her by the cafe window, "I'd love to see you again. To be honest, I wouldn't mind spending every day at this little cafe with you."

She rocked back and forth on her heels, staring up at him with a genuine smile, "Yeah. Me either."

"But, I was thinking..." He trailed off, staring at his feet momentarily, and when he looked up he was blushing, "The date doesn't have to end, just cause the Cafe is closed. I mean... We could go on a walk. Or, whatever..."

"I'd like that." She agreed, twiddling her thumbs shyly, and then looking around, "Where to?"

He grinned widely now, "Anywhere we want."

Cat Valentine had never been a believer in love at first sight, what with only having one boyfriend in all eighteen years of her life, and being crushed for the past eight months. But, maybe, just maybe, she had something here with Beck.

_You said you never met one girl who,_

_Had as many James Taylor records as you._

_But I do._

"What kind of music do you listen to?" Their intertwined hands swung back and forth between them as they made small talk, going nowhere in particular.

"James Taylor." Beck offered her a toothy grin, "I have all of his records. He's one of my idols, music wise. I've never once met a girl who has as many James Taylor records as me. I'd marry whoever it is if I find a girl that does."

Cat let out another peal of laughter, and shook her head slightly, tempted to admit to him that _she_ does. It'd be a comical sight, in her opinion, if he suddenly got down on one knee and proposed to her over their shared love of music.

"I love James Taylor." She instead decided to say, and stared at her feet, sure that he was grinning at her.

"You've gotta show me your records." Beck urged her, laughing softly, "Maybe I'll marry _you._"

_We tell stories, and you don't know why,_

_I'm coming off a little shy._

_But I do._

"One time it was unbelievably hot back at home, and it seemed like all the air conditioners were broken," Beck began, occasionally glancing at Cat to see if she was listening, "So me and my two best friends, Andre and Tori, decided to go to the beach in my RV. As soon as we got there, Tori had to go use the bathroom, and Andre and I decided to wait in the RV for her. Fifteen minutes later, the RV was getting unbearably hot under the sun, so Andre and I decided to get out and find her instead of waiting. Then we realized some truck or something had parked right beside our door! And we were trapped!"

Cat was giggling now, "What happened next?"

"Long story short, we were trapped inside for a few hours and Andre drank out of my fish bowl. Then puked in Tori's purse. All of a sudden Tori yanks the door open and apologizes for being late, and asks why we stayed in the RV." Beck chuckled now, "Apparently the RV had left after about fifteen minutes, and we could've gotten out the whole time."

"That's awful!" Cat beamed, her cheeks pink under the stare of Beck's eyes.

"You got shy all of a sudden." Beck commented, concern on his face, "You okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine." She smiled up at him, her heart skipping a beat.

_And we walked down the block to my car._

_And I almost brought him up._

"It's getting pretty dark." Cat pouted, disappointment filling her at the thought of having to say goodbye to Beck for the night.

"I know." He sighed, giving her a sad glance, causing her to wonder if he felt the same, "We should probably get you to your car. There's no way I'm letting you walk by yourself."

The pair walked in silence down the block, but it was comfortable. It felt right to both of them. The city practically glowed all around them under the bright lights of 24 hour restaurants and lamp posts, and the occasional shops that were packed with last minute shoppers. Cat was in awe at the beauty and magic of it all, and for a moment she felt like opening up to Beck completely and telling him everything. From what she had for dinner last night to what happened with _him._

_But you start to talk about the movies_

_That your family watches every single Christmas_

_And I wanna talk about that._

"So, the holidays are coming up." He interrupted her thoughts, and grinned widely to himself, "Christmas is my favorite holiday. Don't tell anybody, but my favorite part is going home to see my mom, dad, and my two little sisters. They're six and eleven. Annie and Lilly. We always watch the same exact Christmas movies together."

"That sounds really nice." Cat admits honestly, leaning against her car door, "My favorite Christmas movie is probably 'Elf.'"

"That's the first one we watch each year." He grins even wider now, placing his hands on either side of her head and leaning closer to her, "This was the best first date I've ever had, Cat Valentine."

"Me too." She let out a sigh of contentment, and found it felt impossible to look away from his eyes. "I want to see you again, Beck Oliver."

"Your wish is my command." He whispered, and with that both pairs of eyes fluttered shut and he leaned in, gently pressing his lips against hers to begin a dance as old as time itself.

_And you throw your head back laughing, like a, little kid._

_I think it's strange you think I'm funny, cause, he never did. _

_I've been spending the last eight months, thinking that all love ever does is,_

_Break. And burn. And End. _

_But on a Wednesday, in a cafe._

_I watched it begin again._

**Hi! Thanks so much for reading this! Lemme know if you liked it, it's my first oneshot. If you want more, then go check out my Bat story, The Internal Desire! :D**


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